All State Governors

Senate Bills

Daines/Merkley Veterans Equal Access Amendment

Permits physicians affiliated with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend cannabis therapy to veterans in states that allow for its therapeutic use. More info

Mikulski Amendment Protecting State Medical Marijuana Laws

Limits the Justice Department’s ability to take criminal action against state-licensed operations that are acting in full compliance with the medical marijuana laws of their states. More info

Merkley Marijuana Banking Amendment

Prohibits the US Treasury Department from using federal funds to take punitive actions against banks that provide financial services to marijuana-related businesses that are operating legally under state laws. More info

'N/A' means that the Senator did not have the opportunity to vote on this amendment.

Sorted by State

Kay Ivey (R)

Alabama

Took Office

April 10, 2017

Seat Up

2018

NORML Grade: N/A

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

A NORML staffer called the Governor's office on 8/2/2017 and received the following response: “We have no statement on marijuana [nor] has the Governor made any statement on marijuana.” When asked about her stance once again in 2018 by AL.com, she declined to answer. (10/24/18) (Link)

Mike Dunleavy (R)

Alaska

Took Office

December 3, 2018

Seat Up

2022

NORML Grade: N/A

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

In a 2018 Q&A, candidate Dunleavy announced that he did not support changes to the state's retail marijuana tax rates. (8/15/18) (Link)

Doug Ducey (R)

Arizona

Took Office

January 5, 2015

Seat Up

2018

NORML Grade: D-

Enacted Legislation

SB 1098: Establishes an industrial hemp agricultural pilot program designed to research the "growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp" by licensed providers. (2018)

Vetoed Legislation

SB 1337: to permit for the licensed production of industrial hemp. (2017)

Comments

Governor Ducey opposed a 2016 statewide ballot initiative that sought to legalize adult marijuana use, stating, “I don't know how we make ourselves a stronger state or a better place through this initiative. Almost everything outside of our economy and education that I have to deal with in this state has a common culprit of drug abuse and addiction.” (1/13/16) (Link)
Upon voters' rejection of the measure, he said, “Fortunately, Arizona is a place where common sense can still work. We fought very hard and we won this round.” (4/28/17) (Link)

Asa Hutchinson (R)

Arkansas

Took Office

January 13, 2015

Seat Up

2018

NORML Grade: D

Enacted Legislation

Act 740: Prohibits the smoking of marijuana in any place where smoking tobacco is prohibited, in the presence of a child under age 14 or a pregnant woman, in a motor vehicle, and in a place where it could affect a person not authorized to use marijuana. It also bans anyone under age 21 from smoking medical marijuana. (2017)
Act 1080: Imposes a special privilege tax of four percent from the gross receipts or gross proceeds derived from each sale of usable marijuana. (2017)
Act 1098: Ammends the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 to allow for a 8 percent statewide "special privilege" tax on medical marijuana sales. This tax is in addition to the already existing state and local taxes placed upon these facilities by the Amendment. (2017)
Act 740: Amends the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 to prohibit the smoking of marijuana in any location in Arkansas where smoking tobacco is prohibited. Additionally, the law prohibits the smoking of medical cannabis in the presence of a child under the age of 14, in the presence of a pregnant woman, in a motor vehicle, and in a place where it could affect a person not authorized to use marijuana. (2017)
Act 981: Establishes the Arkansas Industrial Hemp Research Program to assess the agricultural and economic potential of industrial hemp production. (2017)

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

Hutchinson, the former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, said he was concerned about the costs of regulation and enforcement if voters approve legalizing marijuana for patients. "You can imagine the enforcement issues, the regulatory issues that are involved in this," he said. "I do not see any tax boon to the state. I see more of a tax drain to the state. ...It will not help us in the direction we need to go in Arkansas in terms of increased economic success in this state." (9/28/16)
Governor Hutchinson claims that legalizing medical marijuana access in Arkansas would be a drain on the state's resources. (8/26/16) (Link)
He adds: "Our democracy is not going to fall if you legalize marijuana. But I think you have to ask yourself, what is the best thing for our country? And you can take two approaches to it. You can say, well, there's been some mistakes in past policy on marijuana enforcement, and so we ought to adjust those policies. And that's actually what's happening all across the country. It's such a small, miniscule percent, particularly for people who are in federal custody because of a marijuana possession offense. It just doesn't happen. So look at it: Texas, Arkansas, many states are looking at incarceration policy, making adjustments, and you've got to be a pretty serious drug offender in order to go to jail for, you know, breaking the law. And so you can adjust current policy, we've done it with drug treatment courts, we're putting more money in the treatment side, alternatives to incarceration, for those that have an addiction problem. That's the path I would like to see, if you see mistakes made, let's adjust those. And I think that's what Europe has done." (7/01/13) (Link)
"Let's think about what happens if you legalize marijuana all across this country. One, I think it would generate tax revenues. I'm on the conservative side, and there's a lot of libertarians who don't believe in strong government but support marijuana legalization. It's ironic to me that if you legalize marijuana, what are you going to create? A huge government bureaucracy. That's what's happening in Colorado. You've got to have licensing authority. You've got to have tax collection authority. You've got to have enforcement authority. So you're going to create a huge regulatory body in every state and the federal government if you legalize it across the board, to collect the taxes and to make sure the enforcement is there. Arkansas we have the Arkansas lottery scholarships, lottery money coming in which funds our scholarships. Well, we're going to be having pot scholarships, because you're going to have revenue coming in to generate it, and the public's going to sell it because you're gonna be able to send your kids with scholarships based upon marijuana tax revenue. You're going to have retail shops, you're going to have distribution, you're going to have cultivation, all highly regulated. That's the path we've got to go. I believe it would increase harm. So two paths you can take, and I believe the best one is keep it criminalized, keep it illegal conduct, but let's make the adjustments from lessons that we've learned over the last two decades." (7/01/13)
(Link)

Jared Polis (D)

Colorado

Took Office

January 11, 2011

Seat Up

2022

NORML Grade: A

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

Governor Polis has pledged to provide additional financing opportunities to those in Colorado's adult use marijuana industry and has also promised to expand the state's medical cannabis access program. (1/8/19) (Link)
As a member of the US House of Representatives, Polis spearheaded prominent legalization legislation, such as the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, and was a founding member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

Ned Lamont (D)

Connecticut

Took Office

January 9, 2019

Seat Up

2022

NORML Grade: A

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

Governor Lamont acknowledged in November, shortly after becoming elected Governor, that legalizing the adult use marijuana market was going to be among his administration's legislative priorities in 2019. (11/19/18) (Link)
During his election campaign, he acknowledged, “The time has come for Connecticut to responsibly legalize marijuana.” (8/28/18) (Link)

John Carney (D)

Delaware

Took Office

January 17, 2017

Seat Up

2020

NORML Grade: C+

Enacted Legislation

SB 374: Expands the pool of patients eligible for medical cannabis by permitting physicians to authorize cannabis therapy to those suffering from: chronic debilitating migraines, pediatric autism spectrum disorder, and pediatric sensory processing disorder. (2018)
SB 197: Permits those convicted of past marijuana possession crimes to seek expungement. It allows individuals to file a petition with the court requesting the expungement of any past marijuana possession violations that are no longer defined as as crimes under state law. (2018)

SB 24: Removes a requirement that a psychiatrist sign an application for someone seeking to use medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (2017)
HB 210: This bill allows minors subject to debilitating medical conditions not specifically listed in § 4906A(b) the same petition process to have their condition considered as that allowed for adults. (2017)

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

Against legalization but willing to hear from proponents. (5/24/17)
(Link)
“I'm not in favor of [the state legalizing and taxing marijuana]. We ought to learn from the experience of other states that are doing it. I don't think we ought to be out on the edge of that curve.” (1/30/17)
(Link)

Ron Desantis (R)

Florida

Took Office

January 8, 2019

Seat Up

2022

NORML Grade: C

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

The Governor says that he wants to make sure the amendment is carried out “in a way for the folks that voted for it that they can feel that that’s what they voted for.” (1/15/19) (Link)During the election campaign, Gov. DeSantis pledged to fully implement the state's voter-initiated medical marijuana access program. The program had been largely opposed by the previous administration. By contrast, he has expressed opposition to adult use marijuana law reform. (8/31/18) (Link)

Brian Kemp (R)

Georgia

Took Office

January 14, 2019

Seat Up

2022

NORML Grade: D+

Enacted Legislation

None

Vetoed Legislation

None

Comments

During the campaign, Gov. Kemp said that he supports the limited expansion to the state's CBD exemption law by permitting CBD-dominant cannabis to be grown in state under a license. He said he opposes decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses. (10/23/18) (Link)